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	Border Collie with Bone Tumour in Hind Leg Q: Dear Sirs, My 10 Year old Border Collie Dog, Ollie, has just been diagnosed as having a bone tumour in his left hind leg. My vet has told me that he probably will not live longer than 6 months. Naturally I am absolutely devastated. We were told that there would be a chance of saving him, by amputation of the leg and part of the pelvis too. However I think that this would be far too traumatic an operation for him to undertake. We have our vets permission to take him on holiday this year, we are only going for a week to the lake district. I need to know a couple of things, if you could please. Can you let me have the names and phone numbers of Vets in the immediate locality to Kirby in Furness, as I will need to ring them if his leg breaks when we are up there. Also, one of the things that ideally I would like to have happened is for him to be put to sleep at home, but my vet said that he could become more stressed if this happened, although he is prepared to come out, but I read an article in the Dogs today magazine the other day about a lady who wanted the same thing for her dog, but it became very traumatic for the dog and went wrong. Can you please give me some advice, would it be better for me to take him to the vet, when the time comes. What is your experience of this? Could you please give me some advice on how best to pick him up and get him to lie down, should his leg break, without causing him too much pain. And finally, what is your experience of bone tumours and how they spread, I need to understand as much as I can about it. Can you offer me any further advice on his care etc. Thanking you in eager anticipation. Alexei Jones

A: Dear Alexei I do sympathise greatly with your awful news, bone tumours in dogs are nearly always malignant and such a heartache to treat. By the time they are detected, they have already metastasised even though the metastases may not yet be visible. I will give a little bit of background, because this is a public billboard, and then address your specific questions. Musculoskeletal tumours make up for about 5% of tumours in dogs and cats, but the vast majority 80 - 90 % are osteosarcomas. Most occur at the ends of long bones, with pain and swelling being the first signs. As the tumour enlarges, heat and soft swelling may develop around and below the site of the tumour. Progressive lameness and even sudden pathological fractures can occur. X-rays are an essential aid to diagnosis, but cannot confirm diagnosis alone as often the tumour will not appear as it's classic form and other tumour types can look similar to osteosarcomas. Biopsy, done under anaesthetic is the next step and will confirm the diagnosis. Osteosarcoma is unfortunately the most common bone tumour, with large and giant breeds of dog accounting for about 80% of cases. Most are in the front leg. Average age is 7 years, however an earlier age of onset in the giant breeds (4-7yrs) brings the average down. Prognosis without treatment varies from 4 to 6 months because of the tumours proggressiveness. Sometimes local complications or pain become too severe and sometimes secondary spread and illness becomes worse. Each case is individual and can only be assessed directly. Treatments include amputation and chemotherapy, with the two combined giving the best results of 10 months to a maximum of 2 years survival. But this is traumatic for the dog to go through and will have to be discussed between owner and vet. Radiation, where available, eases the associated pain and can marginally increase survival time. Whichever is used, 3 monthly chest x-rays need to be done to check for metastases. The lungs are usually the first place for signs to be seen. Homoeopathy and herbal treatments can ease the pain and swelling but so far, in my experience, have not been curative. Better results are reported by more experienced homoeopaths than I. My own dog developed cancer in his skull so I speak from very personal experience. Getting back to your questions, you would be better to consult the yellow pages for the area, as the register I have is by name, not area. Alternatively, if your own vet is a British Small Animal Veterinary Association member, they do get given a list of practices by area. As to euthanasias at home I have had good and bad experiences there. These days very few vets do regular housecalls, but where I started out, we did them as routine and became quite adept at working alone. I feel that in most cases a euthanasia at home is preferable, I found those rewarding and I could take time to spend with owners of pets I had often known well over a long period of time, but I have also had bad experiences with dogs which were still fairly mobile and owners unwilling or unable to help me. In favour of going to the surgery, there will be an experienced nurse to help hold your pet and keep it calm and make it easier for things to go smoothly. You can stay with your pet or leave it with the veterinary staff as you prefer. What you decide on depends a bit on Ollie's character and whether he's calm in the surgery or would not like a stranger on his own territory, and whether you are willing to help the vet at home. Giving an intravenous injection can be difficult if the circumstances are not right. Finally, if the leg does fracture, you should try first to immobilise the break in some way, before moving your dog. A really thick layer of padding wound round the leg, can serve as a temporary measure, and I mean really thick, rolls of cotton wool are commonly used. This is known as a Robert Jones bandage. A splint, secured above and below the fracture and immobilising the joints above and below as well can be used, but it may be worth getting some lessons from the practice nurse on how to correctly apply it. Your veterinary surgery may also be able to provide plastic splints and bandages to take with you. If you need to lift him, keep the injured leg uppermost. I think a bit more liason with your own veterinary surgery will help to get all your preparations done and make sure you have a supply of anything you are likely to need. Your records can be faxed to the local surgeries where you are going, in case of emergency. June Third-Carter B.V.M.S., M.R.C.V.S., Vet.M.F.Hom.

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